Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Paul knows that most of the films he watches are gonna shit though. That's why he acquires them I think.

You should have!

Spot on.
I have only watched some of the classics because of this thread, 10 years ago even 5, I would never have watched Casablanca or some of the classic Hitchcock films and I only watched the Godfather recently, after watching them I wondered why I did not watch them before.
 
I watch the Godfather at least twice a year. But there are lots of films I know are going to be shit that I watch for an easy hungover chill.

Or just to rant about on here.
 
The Untouchables

What a load of rubbish. A soppy, ill-judged, cringe-inducing, trainwreck of a film...Morricone's score was totally out of place and it contained some truly shocking acting:

Costner: They might as well have given the role to a lamp post.
Connery: His Scottish Irishman would have been more apt in a more light hearted buddy comedy.
De Niro: Parody of himself with a cartoonish Al Capone.

It felt like it was written and directed by amateurs. Brian De Palma's reputation continues to bewilder me.
 
ok the sweeney, i read the review on here and elsewhere and wanted to make my own mind, i thought it would be shit.q
the thing is i expected it to be like the 80's series and it was way off being that good.

75-78
 
The History of Mr Polly.

A very easy film to watch, made me smile from start to finish.
Lee Evens (don't let that put you off) plays Mr Polly, a shopkeeper who did not like his life, so leaves his wife too see where it takes him.

6.5/10
 
The Day.
A strange film about a group of 5, trying to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic future.
The plot was dreadful.
The plot was basicly, this group of 5 are walking for a reason you never know, going somewhere you never know and they find a house, which they think is safe but its not and they are attacked by a group of others. There is plenty of blood and some good fights but that was about it.
I wanted to know what happened, was it war or virus, why was they walking and for what but you get nothing.

But I still enjoyed the film.

5/10
 
Stuart: A life backwards - 9/10

Thought it was brilliant and probably the best Tom Hardy performance I've seen. It gets really dark at times and some parts are very disturbing especially since it's all based on a true story. It isn't all doom and gloom though and there is quite a bit of comedy in it.

Also has anyone noticed that Hardy uses his voice really well to portray characters...if that makes any sense? In this film, when he was Bane, in Lawless, Bronson etc

That was a pretty good recommendation Philip, watched it yesterday. The way it's filmed, shot for TV, is a bit annoying at times, but it's a really interesting story and both Cumberbatch and Hardy are great in it, especially the latter. I really, really like him as an actor, I'll have to watch Warrior and Bronson soon.
 
Watched 13 Assassins last night. It was quite good, but to be honest I found it a bit hard to get into it, and I was quite underwhelmed, especially going into it with such high expectations. As far as Takashi Miike is concerned, I did not find it as entertaining as a lot of his other stuff, though it was probably a little more mainstream and accessible. For films of its genre and feel, I thought Zatoichi was a hell of a lot better.
 
That was a pretty good recommendation Philip, watched it yesterday. The way it's filmed, shot for TV, is a bit annoying at times, but it's a really interesting story and both Cumberbatch and Hardy are great in it, especially the latter. I really, really like him as an actor, I'll have to watch Warrior and Bronson soon.

Warrior and Bronson are both really good. Actually Warrior is a fantastic film and should have got more attention.
 
Just finished watching it, and yeah I agree, it's a very good film. The acting trio, Edgerton, Hardy and Nolte, is brilliant, the story is a pretty conventional one (when it comes to fighting films) of redemption, reuniting of a family, pushing your limits, etc. but there's a real intensity there because of the relations between all the characters, you really care about them and the fighting scenes are quite riveting. Really enjoyed it.
 
Kids like Pauldy didn't think there was telly in the 70's. We just used to sit around candles.

We never used to sit around candles.

We crouched because chairs hadn't been invented yet.
 
Ugetsu Monogatari (1954) - 8

A re-telling of an old Japanase tale full of sorrow and beauty, essentially about the price of success and the damage too much dreaming can do. Genjuro wants to become an acclaimed pottery master while Tobei wants the prestige associated with a Samurai, and in getting there they lose their wives in very different ways. Tobei runs off to become a Samurai while his wife is raped and left with no means to survive. We later find out she falls into prostitution. Genjuro's wife is left to tend to their child while he goes so far in search of recognition that he essentially enters his own dreamworld and is tricked into marrying a spirit/ghost. In this time his wife is brutally murdered in the midst of a war.

Very strange film but the Japanese landscape is really picturesque and the tone/pace is wonderfully delicate. Japanese women walk weirdly.
 
Ugetsu Monogatari (1954) - 8

A re-telling of an old Japanase tale full of sorrow and beauty, essentially about the price of success and the damage too much dreaming can do. Genjuro wants to become an acclaimed pottery master while Tobei wants the prestige associated with a Samurai, and in getting there they lose their wives in very different ways. Tobei runs off to become a Samurai while his wife is raped and left with no means to survive. We later find out she falls into prostitution. Genjuro's wife is left to tend to their child while he goes so far in search of recognition that he essentially enters his own dreamworld and is tricked into marrying a spirit/ghost. In this time his wife is brutally murdered in the midst of a war.

Very strange film but the Japanese landscape is really picturesque and the tone/pace is wonderfully delicate. Japanese women walk weirdly.

I think it's a bit of a masterpiece. It possesses such an unique, eerie atmosphere.
 
Yes. Low key Loach film but well worth watching anyway.
 
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Mr. Lazarescu gets shuttled from hospital to hospital, with the doctors giving different refusals to examine him every time. It's apparently a black comedy but it felt more like a horror film, a realistic, true-to-life horror film...not the ideal film to watch if you don't like hospitals. It was a harrowing and at some points difficult watch, the first 30 minutes were a bit of chore and I lost some interest towards the end. I haven't quite made up my mind about it yet but it's leaning towards 'good'.
 
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Mr. Lazarescu gets shuttled from hospital to hospital, with the doctors giving different refusals to examine him every time. It's apparently a black comedy but it felt more like a horror film, a realistic, true-to-life horror film...not the ideal film to watch if you don't like hospitals. It was a harrowing and at some points difficult watch, the first 30 minutes were a bit of chore and I lost some interest towards the end. I haven't quite made up my mind about it yet but it's leaning towards 'good'.

It's a fantastic film but you have to be in the mood for it.
 
Anyone seen Sightseers yet?

Yeah, it's very, very british. I thought it's macabre humour was brilliant and it had a few cracking lines in it. It treads a fine line between being a dark comedy and barely even being a comedy at all. Mostly it's just weird and gloomy, but I enjoyed it a lot.
 
Great Expectations

Nobody does period dramas like the beeb and this one's no exception. Superb cast (Helena Bonham-Carter, Robbie Coltrane, the bird who played Lucrezia Borgia, and loads more), and obviously a cracking story. Coltrane and Bonham-Carter are particularly fantastic in it. Well worth the entrance fee.

9/10
 
The Bourne Legacy - 4/10

A bit poo, really. Dull for the first 30 minutes, action scenes were decent although the bike chase went on a bit too long and then the final scene appeared out of nowhere. Didn't feel like it had any direction at all.
 
The Master (2012) - 7/10

Strong performances throughout and it contains all the elegance of a well-crafted period drama but it's just not that interesting. It only touches on the cult aspect, instead it dedicates itself to delving deep into Freddie Quell's (Joaquin Phoenix) psyche and the relationship between Freddie and the Master (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Sounds good and it holds your attention but PTA has nothing to say worth listening too. His story-telling just isn't for me - too bland, too ponderous. Worth watching for the acting though. Plus there's a surprising amount of tits.

At its heart it's simply a character study of this feral, hunchbacked drunk trying to find his way in life following the war. We study this character for what must be 2 hours of the 2½ hour-long movie and we learn hardly anything of value about him. He's a drunk, he's an animal, he's a scoundrel...but The Master can tame him. He can even relate to Freddie through his outbursts of rage and love of alcohol. That's about it. The Master's more interesting but only slightly. Everything's so precise with PTA that he leaves it to the actors to give the film its soul, but they can't carry it on their own.
 
Stuart: A life backwards - 9/10

Thought it was brilliant and probably the best Tom Hardy performance I've seen. It gets really dark at times and some parts are very disturbing especially since it's all based on a true story. It isn't all doom and gloom though and there is quite a bit of comedy in it.

Also has anyone noticed that Hardy uses his voice really well to portray characters...if that makes any sense? In this film, when he was Bane, in Lawless, Bronson etc

I thought this was decent, with some really touching moments, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that this must be an excellent book and this film might be a let down having read it. Anyone read it?
 
The Master (2012) - 7/10

..It only touches on the cult aspect..

Unsurprising since PTA is a friend of Tom Cruise and apparently screened the film for him before releasing it.

Shame. A biting satire of Scientology by a proper director would be worth doing.
 
The Sapphires
Four Aboriginal singers are chosen to entertain US troops in Vietnam.
Australia's answer to The Commitments, could be described as formulaic and predictable, but that would miss the whole point. Eminently enjoyable with a fantastic, sweet soul soundtrack.
Starring Chris O'Dowd and the talented Jessica Mauboy.
6/10 for the script, 8.5/10 for the execution.


 
End of Watch

I loved it. The way it was filmed, the darkness and the humour combined, the way the two partners bonded. It's easily one of the best cop movies I've seen in ages. I can't actually think of anything close of the top of my head.

9/10
 
The Take (Originally a Martina Cole novel turned into a 4 part TV series)

A friend of my told me to watch this, she thought I'd enjoy it, I was skeptical because it's a Martina Cole thing... I gave it a go anyway, I must say, very very surprised! I really enjoyed it. It's about an upcoming gangster in London and the troubles of family life (basically like every other gangster film). However, it seemed different, things happen which I didn't expect, and there is a couple pretty disturbing things which happen in the film! Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), plays the main character very well! There is a fair bit going on in the movie, but wasn't overly difficult to follow. I'm not sure if it would be everyone elses cup of tea. The little bits about it on wiki and imdb don't do it justice imo.

If you like Gangster/Drama type films (Remember this is a series just all put together), it's definately worth a watch. I've always thought Tom Hardy was a good actor, but this had made me think even more highly of him, plays the part perfectly.

8/10
 
What other films with Tom Hardy have you seen? Check out 'Stuart: A life backwards' that Nobby talks about higher up on this page and that was recommended by Philip, it's an interesting film but it's especially worth watching for Hardy's performance, he's incredible in it. He's also very good in Lawless, Warrior, and apparently Bronson but I haven't yet watched that one.

I'll definitely try to watch The Take, I love gangster movies and I'm trying to watch as many of Hardy's films as possible, I think he's great. How long is it?